Creating Multiple Artboards

Question

I thought I'd ask this question here seeing as how everything I've learned about scripting has come from the knowledge everyone shares here (granted, I've only been at this a couple weeks now).
I've searched and searched and have been trying for three days to figure this out but can't.  I've studied the scripts at http://forums.adobe.com/message/5082308#5082308 and tried implementing them but to no avail.
Basically, I have a document with multiple layers, all containing only one item each.  Every placedItem is a tiff, all having the same dimensions.  There could be either 4 or 6 of them, no more, no less.  I'd like to split them up onto multiple artboards but whenever I try, I keep getting multiple boards put in the same location, e.g., stacked on top of one another.  I can't seem to figure out the gridByRow command.
So far, I'm using the following script (that I found here) to build the file, which I've altered to fit my needs.
function getFolder() {
          return Folder.selectDialog('Please select the folder to be imported:', Folder('~'));
function importFolderAsLayers(selectedFolder) {
          // if a folder was selected continue with action, otherwise quit
          var myDocument;
          if (selectedFolder) {
                    myDocument = app.documents.add();
                    var firstImageLayer = true;
                    var newLayer ;
                    var thisPlacedItem;
                    // create document list from files in selected folder
                    var imageList = selectedFolder.getFiles();
                    for (var i = 0; i < imageList.length; i++) {
                              // open each document in file list
                              if (imageList[i] instanceof File) {
                                        // get the file name
                                        var fName = imageList[i].name;
                                        // check for supported file formats
                                        //if( (fName.indexOf(".eps") == -1) ) {
                                        if( (fName.indexOf("Base.tif") == -1) && (fName.indexOf("White.tif") == -1) && (fName.indexOf("Process%20Yellow.tif") == -1) && (fName.indexOf("Process%20Cyan.tif") == -1) && (fName.indexOf("Process%20Magenta.tif") == -1) && (fName.indexOf("Process%20Black.tif") == -1)) {
                                                  // skip unsupported formats
                                                  continue;
                                        } else {
                                                  if( firstImageLayer ) {
                                                            newLayer = myDocument.layers[0];
                                                            firstImageLayer = false;
                                                  } else {
                                                            newLayer = myDocument.layers.add();
                                           // Give the layer the name of the image file
                                           newLayer.name = fName.substring(0, fName.indexOf(".") );
                                           // Place the image on the artboard
                                           thisPlacedItem = newLayer.placedItems.add()
                                           thisPlacedItem.file = imageList[i];
What I'd like to do at this point is spread these layers out to multiple artboards, which have been made based on the number of layers in the file.
3 days!  I'm pulling my hair out.  Can someone help?  Using CS5.

Answer 1

There are a handfull of ways you could go about scripting this… Here is an example of how I would go about it…
I avoid EPS's files where ever possible so this works with TIFF's
As is… it expects all image files to be the same size ( it only tests the first one )
You could test each if the size varies… I've not included the layer sorting but that is easy stuff…
#target illustrator
getImages();
          Get files from user folder selection
function getImages() {
          var inFold, files, size;
          inFold = Folder.selectDialog( 'Wheres the TIFF files?' );
          if ( inFold != null ) {
                    files = inFold.getFiles( /\.tif$/i );
                    if ( files.length > 0 ) {
                              loadXMPLibrary();
                              size = getImageXMP( files[ 0 ] );
                              unloadXMPLibrary();
                              placeImages( files, size );
          } else { return; }
          The main AI document process
function placeImages( list, size ) {
          app.coordinateSystem =
          CoordinateSystem.ARTBOARDCOORDINATESYSTEM;
          var i, abd, cm, doc, item, lay;
          cm = 28.3464567;
          doc = app.documents.add(
                    DocumentColorSpace.CMYK,
                    size[ 0 ] * 72 + 7*cm,
                    size[ 1 ] * 72 + 7*cm,
                    list.length,
                    DocumentArtboardLayout.Row,
                    72
          item = doc.placedItems.add();
          item.file = list[ 0 ];
          item.position = [ 3.5*cm, -3.5*cm ];
          doc.layers[ 0 ].name = list[ 0 ].name.match( /(.*)\.[^\.]+$/ )[1];
          doc.artboards[ 0 ].name = doc.layers[ 0 ].name;
          for ( i = 1; i < list.length; i++ ) {
                    lay = doc.layers.add();
                    lay.name = list[ i ].name.match( /(.*)\.[^\.]+$/ )[1];
                    doc.artboards.setActiveArtboardIndex( i );
                    doc.artboards[ i ].name = lay.name;
                    item = doc.placedItems.add();
                    item.file = list[ i ];
                    item.position = [ 3.5*cm, -3.5*cm ];
          Get the XMP properties…
function getImageXMP( filePath ) {
          var height, width, res, xmpFile, xmp;
          xmpFile = new XMPFile( filePath.fsName, XMPConst.UNKNOWN, XMPConst.OPEN_FOR_READ );
          xmp = xmpFile.getXMP();
          res = xmp.getProperty( 'http://ns.adobe.com/tiff/1.0/', 'XResolution' );
          res = res.toString().split( '/' );
          res = res[0] / res[1];
          height = xmp.getProperty( 'http://ns.adobe.com/tiff/1.0/', 'ImageLength' );
          height = height / res;
          res = xmp.getProperty( 'http://ns.adobe.com/tiff/1.0/', 'YResolution' );
          res = res.toString().split( '/' );
          res = res[0] / res[1];
          width = xmp.getProperty( 'http://ns.adobe.com/tiff/1.0/', 'ImageWidth' );
          width = width / res;
          return [ width, height ];
          Load the XMP External Object Library
function loadXMPLibrary() {
          if ( !ExternalObject.AdobeXMPScript ) {
                    try {
                                        ExternalObject.AdobeXMPScript = new ExternalObject( 'lib:AdobeXMPScript' );
                                        return true;
                    } catch(e) { return false; };
          Unload the XMP External Object Library
function unloadXMPLibrary() {
          if ( ExternalObject.AdobeXMPScript ) {
                    try {
                              ExternalObject.AdobeXMPScript.unload();
                              ExternalObject.AdobeXMPScript = undefined;
                              return true;
                    } catch(e) { return false; };